or "has pleasure" or whatever the case might require; but he was always alert to burn these letters the moment they were completed. No untimely whispers must be allowed to lessen the effect of the surprise he was hatching for the public.
Since it was obviously out of the question for him to employ his secretary upon this work (even had he been willing to delegate so sweet an occupation to another), and since he was therefore compelled to hold himself to it for several hours each day, and behind locked doors too, he announced that he was once more busy with his Commentaries. Yes, so hardened in deceit was he by now that he did not even trouble to invent a new lie for his innocent family to swallow. Such conduct can only be characterised as cynical.
All these letters that he was writing were a great embarrassment to him because he
